Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database

Supporting fish passage and connectivity conservation in Canada

Nick Mazany-Wright and Nick Lapointe
October 29, 2021

       

Fall 2021 Issues Forum

Project Overview

National Fish Passage Program

Increased freshwater focus on connectivity and fish passage:

  • Watershed Connectivity Remediation Planning framework and barrier remediation in B.C.
  • Chinook salmon research in Upper Yukon River
  • American eel research and advocacy
  • Fish passage advocacy and barrier campaigns
  • Development of the Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database (CABD)

 

fish_ladder american_eel bridge salmon

What is the conservation issue?

What we know:

  • Structures like dams, culverts, and dykes block the movement of fish and other species
  • Barriers to fish passage are extensive across Canada
  • Barriers removal needed to restore access to important habitat
  • Remediation projects are expensive
dam culvert levee

What is the conservation issue?

What we don’t know:

  • How many barriers exist in Canada?
  • How much habitat is not accessible?
  • How do we identify the most important barriers to maximize benefits?

We need comprehensive information to answer these questions

Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database (CABD)

Vision:
All Canada’s barrier and connectivity information in one place – easily and openly accessible!

Project Background

  • CABD = central pillar of tools to support CWF’s fish passage program
  • Identify and prioritize barriers for remediation
  • Inspired The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) work in the northeastern U.S.
barrier-removal

A Roadmap for Improving Connectivity

  • TNC’s Northeast Aquatic Connectivity Assessment Project:
    • A database as a partnership building tool
    • Brings groups together and centralizes efforts
    • Led to significant improvements to fish passage and connectivity

Penobscot River Restoration (Maine)

  • Partnership between government, Indigenous groups, NGOs, and industry
  • Two dam removals and one fishway
  • 2018: 2.8 million+ river herring returned
bypass

Importance of Collaboration and Engagement

  • Potential uses of CABD extend beyond CWF’s needs
    • Freshwater connectivity research
    • Hydrological modelling
    • Infrastructure inventories
  • CABD can improve collaboration and partnership
  • Launch external engagement to get input on design
not-alone

Stakeholder Engagement

  • User interviews
    • What type of work could the CABD support?
    • What information would be useful?
    • How would users like to access the data?
  • Working Group and Technical Advisory Committee
AEP WWF DFO NWAI Carleton
CRI TUC NRCan GLFC BC
NCC NSWA NAACC NSSA UBC

What will the CABD be used for?

  1. Habitat status assessments and reporting (watershed → national scales)
  2. Informing management and regulatory decisions
  3. Restoration planning and prioritization
  4. Infrastructure asset management
  5. Research and monitoring
  6. Education and public outreach

Data Gathering and Sharing

  • CABD relies on existing repositories
    • Local in scale
    • Single barrier types
    • No standardization
  • CWF provides national coordination without duplicating effort
  • Establish reciprocal relationships
    • Quality and consistency to fill data gaps
    • Share data back to providers

 

network two-way

CABD Components

  1. Streams, rivers,
and lakes
hydro1
  1. Barrier data
barrier_points
  1. Web map and tools
interface

CABD Outcomes

  • Open data on all aquatic barriers
  • Identify high priority barriers for removal (local, regional, and national scales)
  • Support connectivity research, barrier prioritization, and fish passage remediation
  • Support Canada-wide collaboration on freshwater connectivity issues

Public Launch (version 1)

  • Public “sneak peek” release in pilot regions: early November
  • Initial release:
    • Dams, waterfalls, fishways
    • Stream and river networks
  • Release remaining data through summer 2022
  • Add additional barrier types in future years (e.g., stream crossings)

Current Contents

 

Dams Waterfalls Fishways

dam waterfall fishway

25,000+ 10,000+ 400+

Demo!

Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database

Next Steps

  • Continue information gathering
    • Phase 1: Compile existing datasets (including stream-crossings)
    • Phase 2: Begin to fill data gaps (with input from citizen scientists!)
  • Expand features in the web tool
  • Develop additional tools

Leading Connectivity and Fish Passage Restoration

CWF Leadership

  • Development of CABD has positioned CWF as a leader in Canada and beyond
  • Multiple existing and potential collaboration opportunities across sectors

Watershed Connectivity Remediation Planning framework

  • Collaborative, strategic framework to plan barrier remediation developed and piloted in B.C.
    • Watershed plans supported by data included in CABD
    • Opportunity to apply in Alberta
  • Guide document for connectivity planning in Canada
  • CABD will support future watershed-scale planning work
WCRP-guide

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  • DFO mandated to provide status report on fish and fish habitat in Canada (under new Fisheries Act)
    • Connectivity and fish passage is a key component
  • What is the state of fish habitat connectivity in Canada?
    • Can’t currently answer that question
    • DFO has recognized CABD as critical data source to assess connectivity
  • CWF can help centralize, coordinate, and modernize reporting
DFO-report

Natural Resources Canada

  • Canada does not have a clean and connected GIS layer representing streams, rivers, and lakes
  • CABD requires this layer to relate barriers to habitat gains
  • CWF leading development of tools to update the National Hydro Network (NHN)
  • Collaboration with NRCan → our work will be shared to improve the quality of the NHN
CHyF

Environment and Climate Change Canada

  • Member of the Connectivity Working Group (Pathway to Canada Target 1)
  • Hosted ‘Advancing Approaches for Assessing Freshwater Connectivity in Canada’ workshop (December 2019)
  • CWF contributing to:
    • Implementing Ecological Connectivity in Canada recommendations report
    • Freshwater Connectivity Indicator for Protected Areas in Canada (including CABD data)
CWG

Global Dam Watch

  • International research collaborative developing comprehensive and curated dam datasets
  • Similar mission to the CABD, at global scale
  • CWF = member and regional data provider
  • Co-authorship of paper accepted to Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability
GDW

Long-term Future of the CABD

  • Continue partnership and collaboration opportunities
  • Develop additional tools
  • Planning for long-term management and maintenance

Additional Tools

  • Barrier assessment protocols
    • Series of regional workshops in winter/spring 2022
  • Research partnerships to develop tools to:
    • Identify barriers
    • Estimate passability

Additional Tools

  • Barrier prioritization and reporting tools accessible through CABD webmap
  • Freshwater connectivity toolbox:
    • Resources, best practices, success stories

Additional Tools

  • Develop or adapt citizen science apps
  • Partner and public participation to identify and assess barriers:
    1. Information entry portal - allow direct additions to CABD
    2. Mobile app - public can identify and assess barriers
  • Collaboration opportunities with existing apps

Long-term Funding, Hosting, and Management

  • Current funding from DFO and RBC Foundation through 2022-23
  • Development and data compilation are most expensive phases
  • Long-term maintenance and updating = major challenge for databases
    • But, lower annual costs
  • Future funding options:
    • Perpetual fundraising?
    • CWF endowment?
    • Hand off to government?

Thank you!

Questions?